Zimbabwe gets broadband cable deal

2011-06-22 18:51

Maputo - The company running a high-speed internet cable along Africa's east coast said on Wednesday it has reached a deal with Mozambique to provide a new link to landlocked Zimbabwe.

Under the agreement, the parastatal Telecomunicacoes de Mocambique (TDM) will allow its fibre-optic network to be used to link Zimbabweans to the 13 700km cable running along the coast, Seacom said in a statement.

"This agreement with TDM demonstrates our commitment to partner with established players to improve the range of service to customers whilst continuously expanding the reach of Seacom's low-cost services into land-locked countries across the region," chief executive Brian Herlihy said.

The deal, whose value was not released, will also give the company another route to link with regional powerhouse SA and landlocked Malawi, the statement added.

The undersea cable already connects to Zimbabwe through SA, but the extra route should improve the reliability of the service, it said.

New undersea cables along both sides of the continent have expanded the capacity of Africa's fibre optic cable connections almost 300-fold since 2009, when the continent relied mainly on slow satellite connections

Comments

James Weather - 2011-06-22 19:57

The must have paid bob a small fortune ... Since bob doent have the first clue about the internet. he thinks its imperialist spies coming to topple his beloved Zimbabwe.

Poloyatonki - 2011-06-22 20:03

You are unhappy because Zim is getting on its feet faster than you thought or should I say without a white man's help.

onetickie - 2011-06-22 20:14

@Polyatonki - how the hell do you know the skin colour of those owners/directors of a company who are bringing internet technology to darkest africa?

Shivermetimb - 2011-06-22 20:37

Pullyourtolli - Seacom is white-owned and run. You are of course welcome to live in your little fantasy world, but the rest of us know who actually makes things work.

Rupert - 2012-05-30 00:01

Mr Weather we have had internet in Zim if iam not mistaken from as early as 1999 or ealier , during the 2000 general elections Bob was actually giving public schools in towns and rural areas computers and internet access , at all public schools internet and computer lessons form part of the curiculum for the school children . Zimbabwe actually pioneered a technology to transmit internet and telephone signals through power lines and at least 40% of all schools in Zim have internet .

onetickie - 2011-06-22 20:12

Zimbabweans will probably be able to access the internet at far cheaper prices than what South African's have to pay.

Rupert - 2012-05-29 23:53

we are currently paying far less than what south africans are paying for internet .
oh by the way did i also mention that the internet speed in zim is the 2nd fastest on the continent

Murky Bucket - 2011-06-22 20:43

There are thousands of undersea cables in the rest of the world. They are routinely laid across mountains and rivers. However, this is clearly a newsworthy and major feat: someone has managed to lay a cable over an AFRICAN BORDER. A true feat of heroism, unparalleled in history. What will they think of next!?

NATO OFFICE - 2011-06-22 23:11

Why cant they lay Bob under sea not the cables, i think most Zimbabweans will vote for that.

Fanie - 2011-06-22 23:34

Pollution - and all the sharks will leave the ocean and come and live in the Roodeplaat dam -

lulu - 2011-06-23 13:00

can you for once leave RACE out of this???
no were in the news Article does it say a white or black person financed it. A human being financed it. Simple and straight forward!!

timmah665 - 2011-06-23 13:47

Aren't there more pressing issues in Zimbabwe than their lack of broadband internet?

Mitch - 2011-06-24 05:52

So while every1 in Zim starves, ol bob can surf carry on collecting p0rn even cheaper ;>